Nut-bleaching apparatus



H. B. BA-RKIS, SR.

NUT BLEACHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1919.

1 ,35 3 ,209, Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' INVENTOR.

S's HeWB.Bw'k1ls'Sr.

By Q m A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY B. 'BARKIS, $3., OF LODI, CALIFORNIA.

NUT-BLEAG'HING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 22, 1919. Serial No. 325,434. a

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. BARKIs, Sn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Lodi, in the county of SanJoaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Nut-Bleaching Apparatus; and I do declare thefollowing-to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the charactersof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates .to a device for bleaching and processing nuts,especially almonds, while it is equally well adapted for treating driedfruits, such as figs, etc.,

after the same have been saturated by steam, etc.

This treatment of nuts, etc., is given them both to kill any insect orgerm life which they may have, and also in the 'case of almonds tobleach them in order to give them a light color which will render themmore merchantable.

Such processing and bleaching is usually accomplished with the aid ofsulfur fumes, and with the methods at present in vogue, this is alaborious process requiring frequent handling of the nuts by hand duringthe same, and the apparatus used is very crude.

The principal object of my invention therefore is to produce anapparatus by means of which a continuous bleaching process may becarried out and which will do away with any handling of the products bythe human hands, during the process.

In other words, when the products are placed in the receiving end of theapparatus, they will be automatically treated and discharged from thesame, in a predetermined length of time, without any attention beinggiven them during the processing, and the 1 length of time they willremain subjected to the sulfur fumes may be regulated either before theinsertion of the products into the device, or during the processing.

Another object of the invention is to construct the apparatus so thatpractically no fumes can escape into the atmosphere adja-' cent thedevice, so that all of the fumes generated are utilized, besides thefact that the device may be located in a building where workers are busyat other tasks, such as sortmg or packing the nuts, etc., without theirbeing subjected to the necessity of sometimes inhaling the stifling andinjurious fumes.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on a line 22of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of an adjustable shaft-supporting bearing. 7

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a rectangular housing of any suitabledimensions provided at the bottom of one end with a sulfur fume inlet 2,and at the top of the other end with an outlet pipe 3, in which isinterposed a centrifugal suction fan 4, adapted to turn at such a slowspeed that a very gentle draft will be created in the housing 1 from theinlet 2 to the outlet 3.

. Positioned in the housing lengthwise thereof and normally at a slantfrom front to rear of about inch to the foot is a cylindrical drum 5.The terms front and rear of the housing indicate the ends thereof inwhich are the inlet 2 and outlet 3, respectively.

.The drum 5 is mountedon a shaft 6 in alinement with enlarged orifices 7in the walls of the housing.

The housing, drum, shaft, and all other parts except where mentioned areto be constructed of wood, so that no oxidation can take place from theaction of the sulfur fumes on any bare metal.

The ends of the shaft are covered with metal caps 8 from which projectspindles or short shafts 9, which extend beyond the e in the pedestal.

walls of the housing, through the orifices 7. Those portions of themetal caps which are within the housing are sheathed with wooden sleeves10, while a piece of canvas 11 is attached to each sleeve and to thehousing 1 beyond the orifices 7 to inclose the latter, such canvascoverings bein so as to permit vertical movement of the s afts 9 in theorifices for a purpose as will appear.

Each shaft 9 is mounted in a swivel bearing or hanger 12 secured topedestals 13 out side the housing, the rear b'earin being mounted on across piece 14 slidab e vertically in its pedestal, the verticalposition of this cross piece and bearing being governed by means of anadjusting screw 15 mounted By means of this arrangement, the slant ofthe drum 5 may be set at any desired angle, the canvas coveringspreventing the fumes in the housing from issuing through the holes 7.

The drum itself consists of a ring 16 at the forward end held to theshaft 6 by means of arms 17 a disk 18 at the rear end, braced to theshaft by arms 19, intermediate rings and arms 20 and 21 respectively,and longitudinal slats 22 placed edgewise around the peripheries of therings and disks and secured thereto. These slats are spaced apart adistance sufficient to permit free circulation of the bleaching fumestherethrough, yet are close enough together to prevent the possibilityof any nuts, etc. dropping therebetween.' The rings '19 are quite flat,and are beveled on the forward edges in order not to obstruct thepassage of the nuts.

At the rear end'of the drum adjacent the disk 18, some of the slats arecut away for short distances at spaced intervals to form suitable sizedopenings 23, through which the processed products may drop into a hopper24 leading to a discharge chute 25 terminating on the outside of thehousing 1. The outer opening of this chute is covered by a canvas flap'26 secured to the chute along its upper edge, this flap being lightenough to allow the nuts, etc. to pass thereby and yet normally sealingthe opening.

The bleaching fumes will never escape through this chute, first onaccount of the flap, and also because the draft created by this1 fan 4.-draws the fumes upwardly at that en A fixed'head 27 is secured to thefront end of the housing 1 and projects with a clearance fit into thering 16. A hopper 28 is positioned at any suitable point outside thehousing and delivers to a chute 29 which projects through the head 27The drum 5 is adapted to be slowly rotated by any suitable source ofpower, from a shaft 30 in alinement with the forward one of the shafts9, and may be disconnected therefrom by means of a clutch 31 suitablyactuated.

The average time the products are to be subjected to the sulfur fumes isfrom thirteen to twenty minutes, the desired length of time being had byproperly adjusting the slope of the drum 5 as previously described.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfils the object of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for bleaching nuts comprising a housing adapted to be filledwith bleaching fumes, a drum turnable in the housing lengthwise thereofand open to the fumes, means in the drum whereby nuts inserted at oneend will be positively discharged therefrom at the other end, and meanscooperating with said drum whereby the nuts may be held therein apredetermined period of time prior to discharging.

2. A device for bleaching nuts comprising a housing adapted to be filledwith bleaching fumes, a drum turnable in the housing lengthwise thereofand open to the fumes, and adapted to receive the nuts at one end anddischarge the same at the other, the drum having a downward slant fromits receiving to its discharge end, and means for altering the slant ofthe drum at will.

3. A device for bleaching nuts comprising a housing adapted to be filledwith bleaching fumes, a drum turnable in the housing lengthwise thereofand open to the fumes, and adapted to receive the nuts at one end anddischarge the same at the other, the drum having a downward slant fromits receiving to its discharge end, a shaft extending lengthwise of thedrum, bearings for said shaft outside the housing, means for verticallymoving one of said bearings to alter the slant of the shaft and drum,and means between the shaft and the housing for retaining the fumes inthe housing irrespective of the position of the shaft relative thereto.

4. A device for bleaching almonds and the like comprising a housingadapted to be filled with bleaching fumes, and a revolving drum in thehousing open to the fumes and arranged to continuously receive theproducts to be bleached at one end and to continuously and automaticallydischarge the same at the other end.

5. A device for bleaching almonds and the like comprising a housingadapted to be filled with bleaching fumes, a drum open to the fumesturnable in the housing and In testimony whereof I afiix my signaturearranged to receive the producits to be in presence of two witnesses.bleached at one end and to disc arge the 1 same at the other end, thedrum slanting HENRY BARKIS 5 down to such discharge end, and means inWitnesses:

the drum for retarding the travel of the BERNARD PRIVAT, prgducts fromthe receiving to the discharge FRANK H.- CARTER. en

